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Essman Mentoring Project

Alyn Essman is retired chairman and CEO of CPI Corp. He is an active participant in the St. Louis community. Essmans joined CPI as controller in 1956 when the company operated a small chain of local photographic studios generating about $750,000 in sales. He was appointed president in 1969 as he helped negotiate the sale of the private company to Chromalloy American Corporation and was elevated to chairman/ceo in 1973. He led a group of executives who acquired the company from Chromalloy in 1979 and then took it forward to public ownership through an initial public offering in 1982. During Essmans’s tenure, CPI grew to over $500 million in sales through acquisition and diversification with concomitant earnings growth as a NYSE company. Essmans, a CPA, holds a BABA from Washington University and a Ph.D. from University of Missouri. He has served on a variety of community boards including St. Louis Science Center, B/J Hospital Foundation, United Way and Webster University. His reason for teaching is to impart knowledge and experience to young people who can help a company to grow.

Schedule:
Session 3: March 10 - Monday - 2:00 PM to 3:15 PM